If you know who Lenny Smith is, chances are you have great taste in music. He is probably best known as the author of the hymn “Our God Reigns,” but he has recorded many other great songs. Lenny is also the father of Daniel, aka Danielson, aka Danielson Famile, etc. In many ways, his influence can be felt all over the indie rock scene due to his obvious influence on his son. This particular project is a worship album of sorts. Don’t think modern over-processed CCM worship. Think authentic, heartfelt, and a bit quirky. Not quite as quirky as most artists on the Sounds Familyre label, but still much more so than the average radio fodder artist. I can’t say that I have really heard worship music this authentic and Spirit-filled since my days at Antioch Community Church in Waco. Of course, James Mark Gulley and others at ACC are a rare breed, but they are obviously drawing from the same well that Lenny Smith has been for decades. Lenny’s voice is closer to Michael Knott than Danielson – which may or may not be a good thing to you depending on your feelings of those artists. The songs are mostly around the mid-paced level – never hitting a fast heavy note, but never descending into sappy love-song ballad worship. Kemper Crabb would be proud of an album like this – no “Jesus is my girlfriend” songs muddying up things here. That’s not to say that there are no quieter moments. “I Have Everything I Want” is a reflective song that is quite beautiful, for example. On the other end of the spectrum is “How Blessed Is The Man” – a romping song that would fit in on a later-period Havalina Rail Co. record. As you can tell by all of the names I am bringing up, the style here is a bit difficult to pin down. Which is a good problem to have, but folk, singer-songwriter, and Americana are all good places to start. Highly recommended for people that wondered what Havalina would have sounded like on a worship project or pretty much any of the Sounds Familyre family.
Leave a Reply